


Until We Meet Again

by the_Pop_Culturist



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-04-06 18:01:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4231458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_Pop_Culturist/pseuds/the_Pop_Culturist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A last kiss before dying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Until We Meet Again

"Tigress come in!" the voice on the other end of the com channel demanded.

"Omega to Tigress, come in please."

Dick Grayson clinched his fists, trying to remain calm behind the communication station of the Bioship. They'd lost contact with the mercenary at approximately 21:30. Before Tigress had gone dark she'd confirmed she be at the evac point on time, that was six hours ago.

"Artemis!" he raged one final time before slamming his fists on the com panel and throwing off his earpiece.

"Tim, contact the watchtower, we need satellite surveillance video, global imaging...anything!"

xxx

The archer lay in the cooling waters of the jungle stream, her back propped up against the foliage covered cliff side. The rushing water had more than likely thrown off her scent to any sentry dogs the enemy patrols might be employing, not that it mattered much anymore, she'd be long dead before they'd find her anyway.

It was just supposed to be a simple surveillance mission, gather the intel, get in get out, don't get caught.

 _When had that ever worked_ she laughed bitterly.

Artemis placed her hands by her sides, shaky palms planted flat on the marshy ground, attempting to push herself up, but her elbows buckled and she slid hard to the mud, just like her five previous attempts before. All the willpower in the world couldn't change the cold hard fact of her situation. She was dying.

She unzipped the front of her uniform, peeling the orange and black material down, pooling it around her waist to check the wound again. She wasn't expecting miracles, but held out some hope that the makeshift triage she'd performed on herself would at least have slowed the bleeding somewhat, given her a fighting chance to navigate the remaining ten miles out of enemy territory to the secondary evacuation point, but the bow string stitches had torn, and the bandages shown the bright red hue of fresh blood.

She reached into her supply belt searching for any remaining gauze she might pack her wound with, but all that was left was her blowgun and the shattered remains of her communicator. Had she paid more attention in Batman's electronics technologies classes, she might have been able to bypass the relay system and at least send out a GPS pulse to pinpoint her location to the Watchtower, but she'd always counted on her partner for all things science and technology related. She was the fighter, he was the scientist.

She recognized all the symptoms of internal bleeding, though at this point there wasn't much internal about it. Her skin was clammy, her pulse rapid, confusion and dizziness battled for dominance. Shock was setting in and there was nothing she could do about it.

Artemis closed her eyes as her mind began to drift, the sounds of the jungle becoming almost a lullaby. She hoped if the team discovered her body they would think to look for the intel chip hidden in her combat boots so the entire operation would not have been entirely in vain.

From the moment a hero chose to put on the mask, there was always one rule, one unwritten – unspoken rule that remained embedded in the back of their minds. She knew that rule better than most.

 _Risk is our business_ someone once said, and one day you might be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice, to put your life on the line to protect and serve others.

 _His_ day had been called June 20, 2016 at exactly 13:48 and now almost eighteen months later, it finally was her turn. Artemis closed her eyes and took one last cleansing breath, ready to face the God she stopped believing in a long time ago and peacefully drifted away.

xxx

She awoke again on her stomach, mentally wincing at the upcoming waves of agony that would soon follow given that she was putting her entire body weight on her bullet wounds. She dug her elbows in the sand, searching for the strength to rollover and at least face the sky, to be ready if the enemy patrols had doubled back on her. She faded in and out of consciousness while the sun baked down on her olive skin, but all she felt was its warm caress and the hypnotizing sounds of ocean waves crashing on the beach.

_Sand?_

_Ocean?_

Her eyes jolted open and she sat up quickly in a jerk. Directly ahead she stared out into the most beautiful sun blazed landscaped she'd ever seen. The sea had the clearest hue about it today, almost a Mediterranean blue, and the clouds mirrored off it magnificently. A warm breeze washed across her face with its gentle touch.

She'd had dreams like this before, memories and moments that she wished were real, but could never have existed in the real world. Her father – a different version of him at least – holding her hand and taking her to the circus or the park like normal fathers were supposed to, or her mom walking again, standing proudly one day at her graduation, or her wedding, or just in the kitchen making tea, weaving tales of travel and adventures, not capers and assassinations. Dreams of another her - another life.

Her wounds had stopped throbbing for the moment and Artemis sighed, quietly enjoying the last moments of this dying delusion when the voice next to her broke the silence.

"You awake babe?" the voice asked.

Her heart stopped at the sound of his voice. She put her hand on her forehead, shielding the sun from her eyes and turned to see the red head sitting on a beach towel matching the one she lay on. He put down his book and rolled over to his side snuggling up to her. The first thing she noticed was the golden bathing suit trimmed in crimson, but it was the emerald eyes that took her breath away.

"Hi beautiful," he smiled.

"Wally?" she questioned disoriented.

"Yeah babe, the one and only, "he singsonged

Artemis knew this wasn't real, that he wasn't real, most likely a hallucination created by her oxygen deprived neurons as they slowly died, but she didn't care, not one damn bit. Peace flowed through her body, a serenity she hadn't felt in a long time. Artemis pushed aside any logical rationale and just enjoyed the illusion. He was here, they were together, and that's all that mattered now.

Wally stood and reached down to pull her to her feet when she launched herself into his arms, burying her head in the crook of his neck. Her tears dampened his freckled shoulder while his fingers gently stroked the back of her head down her long blonde mane.

After a few moments Wally placed her back on her feet, palming her cheeks and kissing her. His lips, his taste, his smell, everything was exactly as she remembered. He pulled away and brushed a lock of hair from her eyes.

"I've missed you so much," he smiled resting her head on his chest.

"Am…am I dead?" she asked hesitantly.

"No," he said sharply, before softening his tone. "You're not dead Artemis, not even close."

She looked up at his face, losing herself in his eyes. "Is….is this real?"

"As real as you want it to be," he smiled. "You up for a walk?"

Artemis nodded nervously and Wally took her hand and the two made their way down the shoreline. This was a dream, it had to be. She knew her body still lay dying in the jungle of that small Caribbean island, but at the moment she couldn't care less, right now felt so real, so right.

The beach they walked seemed so familiar, and when they rounded the dune and she saw the rock formation to the north she knew why.

"Is that …..Mt. Justice?"

Wally nodded.

"But we…I blew it up," she swallowed hard thinking back to that moment with Kaldur, the moment she knew for certain that things would never be the same again, if she only knew then...

"Looks fine to me," he smiled, squeezing her hand.

She stared in astonishment as the mountain base she once called home stood proudly before her unscathed, looking exactly as pristine as the day she arrived by Green Arrow's side, laughing at the misfortune of a frustrated new teammate lying prone on the ground…wearing the exact same outfit he wore now.

Artemis halted their walk and stepped in front of him. "Wally stop, I need some answers. I don't understand any of this"

He took his hand and palmed her cheek again. "You're not supposed to."

"Enough!" she snapped, knocking his hand from her face. "Enough of this cryptic bullshit. Where am I?" What is all this?"

He sighed and took her hands. "You're with me, right here - right now, just for a little while. I know you want answers, but that's all I can give you."

"Can or will?" she demanded.

"Both," he said solemnly.

The speedster immediately recognized the furrowed eyes, the pout bordering on a scowl. He wanted to comfort her, to hold her in his arms and take the sadness and confusion away, but some things were beyond his control. He walked over to one of the flat boulders that encircled Mt. Justice and sat down, patting the rock, motioning for Artemis to join him.

"This is bullshit Wally," she snapped, extremely frustrated - dream or not.

"Babe I know, really I do, but we don't have a lot of time and there's something I need to tell you, something I was supposed to do a long time ago."

She could always read him; he was an open book to her like she was to him. After five years together, they could know each other's mood with just a glance, finish each other's thoughts practically. The day she left him for Manta's sub, few words were exchanged, but their eyes spoke volumes, like his did now.

"Don't!" she pleaded, "Please…."

"I have to…I need to say goodbye. I never got the chance and a day doesn't go by that I don't regret it."

"Shut up!" she begged

"I can't Artemis."

"Don't say it, don't even think it. We're together Wally. After all I've been through, after all I've given, were finally together. I deserve this happy ending damnit! We deserve this. Come back to me."

"I can't babe, my jobs done."

"Fine," she shrugged, determined, "I'll stay here then."

Wally smiled at her stubbornness, one of a hundred things he loved about her. "You can't beautiful, no matter how much I wish you could, you still have work to do."

"Are you freaking kidding me?" she yelled "That's all I've ever done. I'm tired Wally, tired of costumes and masks, missions and psychopaths, all of it. Remember when I told you there's always a world to save, well I'm done. I've given everything Wally, Everything!" she growled pointing her finger into his chest.

"Saving the world…" she laughed bitterly, "it's someone else's problem now."

"Artemis, it's not about saving the world and you know it, it's about saving yourself. You still have so much to do."

"Yeah right," she laughed bitterly, "Like what?"

Artemis turned on her heels and stormed away, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. When she opened them the again the beach was gone, replaced by the Observation Platform of Hoover Tower, the 14th floor to be precise. The view encompassed all of the Stanford campus and in the distance the cityscape of San Francisco.

"I miss this place," Wally sighed leaning out over the rail, soaking in the sights. He turned toward her and took her hands. "There's still so much out there for you Artemis; finishing college, being there for your friends, falling in love, being the greatest aunt in the world, having a child of your own one day, basically living your life, and yeah occasionally saving the world. All of that's out there waiting for you, but you have to go and get it, no one's going to hand it to you. Life's a gift, one that sometimes you have to give yourself, never forget that."

Finally the dam broke and she began to sob. "Damnit Wally this was supposed to be our life. We were supposed to be together, that's why we left the life."

"I'm with you every day Artemis, from the moment your crabby butt gets up till you close your eyes at night. I’m always there.”

He took her in his arms and kissed her, more deeply and intensely than any she ever remembered. Their love was fiery and passionate, two people who first couldn't stand each other becoming two people who couldn't stand to be away from the other. They brought the best out in each other and even at the age of sixteen knew they'd never want to be with anyone else again. It wasn't perfect, true love never is, but it was as close to the definition as you could get.

His lips locked with hers for what seemed like hours, holding her in his warm embrace. They both wanted the moment to last forever. When she opened her eyes again they were in Paris on a rainy spring night in the City of Lights. Hundreds of yards away the Eifel Tower stood in all its majesty above the Champ de Mars. It was much different than the last time they were there and the irony of the situation was not lost on the archer.

"I told you we'd be coming back," he grinned.

The park was empty as residents and visitors alike ran for shelter from the storm. In the distance lightning flashed through the sky, followed by its obligatory rumble, lighting up the restaurants, cafés and shops that surrounded them.

"It's beautiful," Artemis spoke sadly. This was where they would have honeymooned one day, she was sure of it. She knew Nightwing had found what Wally had hidden in their apartment when he rushed in abruptly not long after the funeral. She knew Dick more than likely had found a ring and had taken it to protect her from anymore heartache, any more pain.

Lightning flashed again, much brighter than before, leaving an afterimage of the tower burning in her eyes.

"Please babe, please don't go." she begged, bombarded by waves of guilt and sadness that years ago in Blüdhaven their roles had been heartbreakingly reversed.

"I don't make the rules Artemis, but I promise you this. When it's time I will be waiting for you right here, at this exact spot, but only when it's time and not a second before. Do you understand me?"

The rain drenched archer grabbed hold of the speedster and squeezed him tight, hoping beyond hope that if she never let go, this moment would never end.

"I love you Wally, I love you so damn much," she cried.

"I love you too beautiful. You were…you are the best thing that ever happened to me. You were worth the risk," he smiled.

Artemis's wiped her eyes and looked to the sky when she heard her name echoing in the distance between the lightning flashes.

"Don't forget me ok?"

"Shut up, that will never happen," she scolded.

"Will I see you again?" she asked

"I don't know, maybe in your dreams, but definitely one day, when it's time."

Her name echoed again, this time louder than before.

"I think they're playing your song beautiful. It's time to go home Artemis."

"No Wally….." she begged.

"Don't be afraid Artemis, It's gonna be ok. Remember I'll be right here," he smiled placing his hand on her heart, "Always, but you have to let go now."

The world around her flashed in a blinding light, and the pain in her side came roaring back to life as the world around her changed for an instant.

" _Au revoir mon amour, jusqu'à ce que nous nous retrouvons_ ," he whispered kissing her forehead as she began to fall.

xxx

"Wally!" she screamed, rising up off the bio-bead in agony, ripping off the oxygen mask before Batgirl and Superboy caught and restrained her, carefully lowering her back down while Nightwing strapped her arms down to the bed.

Barbara checked the IV tube to make sure Artemis hadn't ripped it from the vein as Dick knelt down beside her.

"Artemis you've lost a lot of blood," he spoke. "We're fifteen minutes from Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Miami, you have to hold on."

She was too weak to reply, barely having the strength to nod. Her uniform top had been cut away, and when she glanced down all she could see was the blood soaked bandages covering her torso. She felt the sensation again, falling like she experienced before, but she wasn't afraid. Artemis closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep, hoping when she opened them green eyes would greet her again.

"Hurry Megan!" Dick demanded as the BioShip blazed across the Atlantic towards Florida.

xxx

Days later Artemis was dressing in her hospital room, her discharge papers finally filed and processed. It had been touch and go for a while, but Tigress had lived up to her reputation as one of the toughest around. She would still have to recuperate at home under her mother's care, but anything was preferable to the sterile white of the hospital room. Bruce Wayne had generously offered a private jet to bring her back to Gotham and would not take no for answer. The archer reluctantly agreed, in all honesty not terribly keen on the idea of riding in coach class with three bullet wounds in her side.

She finished buttoning her shirt and was in the process of pulling on her boots when the knock arrived.

"Come in," she replied, sitting back on the bed for a moment, the exertion of pulling her _Kenneth Cole's_ on getting the best of her.

Dick Grayson walked in, a bouquet of flowers wrapped neatly in his hand.

"You ready?" Dick smiled handing her the flowers.

Artemis brought them to her face and inhaled their scent. They smelled like Paris, and she smiled, lost in her memories for a moment.

"Born that way," she quipped, hooking her arm through his and making their way to the elevator side by side.

They made small talk the rest of the way to Miami International, the archer asking what had become of the intel she recovered and how useful it was, updates on mission statuses and her friends. Dick cautiously informed her that her Zeta account would be suspended temporarily while she recovered, to ensure that she wouldn't appear on the Watchtower looking for work anytime soon.

Her memories of her time on the island were fuzzy at best. She remembered the patrols, vaguely recalled getting shot, had a very clear memory of dismantling her bow and using it’s string as stitches, but that was all she shared. Dick never asked her about the name she screamed out when she regained consciousness briefly.

Traffic ahead on the I-95 began to slow and Dick could tell the archer was tired, her strength slowly fading. Once on board the private jet, hopefully she would sleep until Gotham, God knows she needed it.

Artemis stared out the window, her mind a million miles away as Dick temporarily broke the silence

"You know, that was pretty ingenious bypassing the power coupling and rerouting the processor leads to the broadcast port. We had every League satellite scanning that island, but if you hadn't created that navigation pulse, I doubt we'd have ever found you. When did you learn that?"

"I didn't," she answered softly and continued staring out the window, silently thanking the one who did.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you're curious, the translation is "Goodbye my love, until we meet again" or as close as Google Translate can get me.


End file.
